DUR
By: Marty Mater, President - Madison WI Area Local
Delivery Unit Relocation (DUR) is the unpleasant flavor of the day. Actually, DUR started in our area in December 2008. Our employer, the USPS, is bleeding red ink and looking to cut expenses wherever possible. Right, wrong, or otherwise, the carrier operations in one Post Office are relocated to another Post Office. The immediate impact (savings) comes from the pocketbook of the clerk(s) in the losing office as most of the work the clerks used to perform disappears along with the carriers. The ultimate goal, once the carriers are relocated, is to move the clerk(s) out (voluntarily or involuntarily), downgrade the office (and eventually the postmaster’s rate of pay), and hire a Postmaster Relief (PMR). A PMR is a non-bargaining unit position and essentially a glorified casual with low wages, no benefits, and the right to quit or be fired.
So far it appears DUR has impacted at least nine (9) offices represented by the Madison WI Area Local, with five (5) additional offices slated for DUR, and I have heard of two (2) other offices on the chopping block but not yet on any officially approved DUR list. The clerks in these small offices have seen their hours reduced over the course of the past several years, from 20-30 hours per week, down to 14-20 hours per week, and now only a few hours on Saturday. Additional hours only come about when the postmaster is gone and the clerk fills in, or if the clerk can be loaned out to another post office. It is not an easy life for the PTF clerk in a small office but we make ever effort to ensure their rights under the CBA are protected.
So far it appears DUR has impacted at least nine (9) offices represented by the Madison WI Area Local, with five (5) additional offices slated for DUR, and I have heard of two (2) other offices on the chopping block but not yet on any officially approved DUR list. The clerks in these small offices have seen their hours reduced over the course of the past several years, from 20-30 hours per week, down to 14-20 hours per week, and now only a few hours on Saturday. Additional hours only come about when the postmaster is gone and the clerk fills in, or if the clerk can be loaned out to another post office. It is not an easy life for the PTF clerk in a small office but we make ever effort to ensure their rights under the CBA are protected.
Click Here - to read the entire article as published in: THE FLASH REPORT
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